News Shorts: March 9th 2018

Grey’s Anatomy
“Grey’s Anatomy” regulars Jessica Capshaw (Dr. Arizona Robbins) and Sarah Drew (Dr. April Kepner) are exiting the Golden Globe-winning series after the current fourteenth season. The pair have been with the series ten and nine seasons respectively.

The decision was reportedly made by the producers ahead of the potential fifteenth season with the actresses only made aware in the past two days. The departures follow the signing of series star Ellen Pompeo to a new two-year lucrative deal that will keep her with the drama franchise and pay her as much as $20 million per season. [Source: Deadline]

Dietland
AMC has set a June 4th premiere date for the darkly comic feminist revenge fantasy series “Dietland” starring Joy Nash and Julianna Margulies. Marti Noxon serves as showrunner and directed some of the ten episode first season run.

An adaptation of Sarai Walker’s 2015 novel, the story revolves around a woman who is a ghost writer for an editor at a fashion magazine and struggles with body issues. [Source: Variety]

SIX
History has slotted a Memorial Day, Monday, May 28th premiere for the second season of its hit Navy SEAL drama series “SIX”. The second episode will then kick off in the regular 10pm Wednesday timeslot on May 30th.

The ten-episode second season follows Navy SEAL Team Six in a mission to destroy the terrorist network responsible for the shooting of their former team leader Richard ‘Rip’ Taggart (Walton Goggins). Led by Joe ‘Bear’ Graves (Barry Sloane), the Navy SEALS will join forces with cunning and tenacious CIA officer Gina Cline (Olivia Munn) to scour Eastern Europe to track the mastermind behind the jihadist network of Michael (Dominic Adams). [Source: Deadline]

Suits
USA has given a series order for the “Suits” spin-off starring Gina Torres. The new series focuses on Torres’ character Jessica Pearson as she adjusts to the dirty world of Chicago politics. Aaron Korsh, Doug Liman, David Bartis and Gene Klein will executive produce and Daniel Arkin serves as showrunner. [Source: Variety]

Our Cartoon President
Showtime has ordered an extra seven episodes of the animated comedy “Our Cartoon President,” bringing the show’s first season order up to seventeen episodes total. These episodes are set to air this summer. The series, averaging 2 million viewers per episode in multi-platform viewing, spoofs life inside the White House of President Donald Trump, featuring comedic takes on Trump, his advisers, and family members. [Source: Variety]

Villains
Bill Skarsgard (“IT”) and Maika Monroe (“It Follows”) have signed on to star in the dark comedy-thriller “Villains” at The Realm and Star Thrower Entertainment. Dan Berk and Robert Olsen penned the Black List script and are set to direct.

The story centers on a pair of amateur criminals who, after breaking into a suburban home, stumble upon a young girl chained in the basement and two sadistic homeowners who will do anything to keep that secret from getting out. Tim and Trevor White are producing. [Source: Heat Vision]

Official Secrets
Ralph Fiennes and Matthew Goode will join Keira Knightley and Matt Smith in the Gavin Hood-directed thriller “Official Secrets” for eOne and producer Mark Gordon. Shooting on the project will start March 12th in Yorkshire.

The true story tale follows British Intelligence whistle-blower Katharine Gun (Knightley) who, during the immediate run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, leaked a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint U.S.-U.K. illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council to try and blackmail smaller member states into voting for war. [Source: Variety]

Untitled Danny Boyle Film
Lily James (“Baby Driver”) is in talks to star in the untitled Danny Boyle musical comedy for Working Title and Universal Pictures. Plot details are unknown and Richard Curtis (“Love Actually”) is penning the script and will produce with Boyle, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Matt Wilkinson and Bernie Bellew. This will likely be Boyle’s next movie and is expected to be done fairly quickly, with Boyle then segueing into directing the next James Bond film. [Source: Variety]

Close
The Noomi Rapace action-thriller “Close” has been picked up by Netflix in a multi-territory deal that includes the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Sophie Nelisse, Eoin Macken and Indira Varma co-star. Rapace plays a counterterrorism expert who takes on what should be a babysitting job protecting a rich teenage heiress. A violent attempted kidnapping forces the two to go on the run. [Source: Heat Vision]

Invasion
Blumhouse Productions has picked up the spec script “Invasion” by John Swetnam and Harris Wilkinson. The ticking clock sci-fi thriller revolves around a home invasion that happens during an alien invasion and includes themes of immigration in its narrative. Swetnam will produce the film with Jason Blum and filming begins later this year. [Source: Deadline]

Homecoming
Julia Roberts is re-teaming with her “My Best Friend’s Wedding” co-star Dermot Mulroney on the political thriller series “Homecoming” for Amazon. Created by Sam Esmail (“Mr. Robot”), Roberts plays a caseworker at a secret government facility. Mulroney will play Anthony, her affable but a little needy boyfriend. [Source: Vulture]

Sorry for Your Loss
Janet McTeer has been tapped as a lead opposite Elizabeth Olsen in the ten-episode half-hour dark comedy series “Sorry For Your Loss” for Facebook Watch. McTeer plays the fitness freak and protective mother of Olsen’s character.

Created and written by Kit Steinkellner, Olsen plays a young widow who deals with the grief of losing her husband while reconnecting with relationships of her past. Leigh’s journey shows grief is an essential part of life. [Source: Deadline]

Sabrina
Bronson Pinchot (“Perfect Strangers”) has scored a key recurring role in Netflix’s untitled Sabrina the Teenage Witch series which has scored a two-season, straight-to-series order.

The dark coming-of-age stars Kiernan Shipka as the titular young woman wrestling to reconcile her dual nature as a half-witch, half-mortal while fighting the evil forces that threaten her and the world. Pinchot will recur as George Hawthorne, Baxter High’s villainous and puritanical principal who is a constant thorn in Sabrina’s side. [Source: The Live Feed]